This is the blog post about our second day hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc. Check out my summary post with all my tips for planning your own TMB, plus day 1 of the hike!
The Tour du Mont Blanc is a 165km hiking loop around Mont Blanc, with nearly 9km of elevation gain into the sky, through 3 countries: France, Switzerland and Italy. You can go as fast or as slow as you want, staying in your choice of the many refuges (mountain huts) along the way at night. I know people who've done the whole loop in 3 days, and others who take it slow and go for 12 days. Connor, a friend and fellow hiker from Vancouver, and I planned a 9-day trek on the TMB.
Day 1: Les Houches to Gîte Tupilak
Day 3: Lac Blanc to Charamillon
Day 4: Charamillon to Forclaz
Day 5: Forclaz to Ferret
Day 6: Ferret to Monte Bianco
Day 7: Monte Bianco to Balmes
Day 8: Balmes to Bionassay
Day 9: Bionassay to Les Houches
Day 2: Gîte Tupilak to Lac Blanc
Total distance: 21.24km
Total elevation gain: 1460m
Total elevation loss: 238m
Refuge we stayed at: La Refuge du Lac Blanc
Countries: France
We rose early on the first full day of the TMB. I slept badly, as we bunked with a roommate who snored all night and who’s phone lit up the entire room periodically, and so I ended up with just a few hours of sleep on the couch in the common room. The morning light outside our refuge caught the wisps of clouds across Mont Blanc, promising perfect hiking weather and the anticipation of a proper climb ahead.
First light from Gîte Tupilak
We began hiking the TMB in reverse with a stretch along the river shaded by the cool forest, feeling butterflies at the thought of venturing out onto such an iconic trail. After stopping for a second breakfast in the glitzy mountain town of Chamonix, the hike began in earnest, with nearly 1500m of elevation gain in one fell swoop.
Chamonix, France
Second breakfast at Rose du Pont in Chamonix
The hot sun beat down on our necks, with the hike immediately becoming much more mental than physical. It felt good to push my body, to steadily climb up the mountain, to reward myself with a lemonade upon reaching the Lac de la Flégère. I giggled with disbelief at the views, the first taste of what this exquisite corner of Europe has to offer.
The climb from Refuge La Flégère to Lac Blanc was brutal. Crowded with day trippers in jeans and sneakers, who’d ridden the gondola up from Chamonix, and knowing they were just as deserving of the views and experiences as those of us trekking the entire way around the mountain, I still felt a slight pang of frustration at the unpreparedness of some visitors, knowing that the appeal of the photogenic and gorgeous Lac Blanc at the top of the trail overrode sensibility.
Phrases such as “You’re a strong, powerful woman” were on repeat in my mind as I put one foot in front of the other up the steep, crumbling track, side stepping the hundreds of others coming up and down the trail, fighting the incessant heat, and my shoulders beginning to ache with the weight of my pack. The feeling of coming around the final bend of rock and spotting the aqua colours of Lac Blanc, the idyllic Refuge perched above it made me gasp with pleasure. The fact that just our feet and some determination can bring us to places like this that exist in our world, and that I get to witness them with my own eyes and share them… that feeling will forever take my breath away.
This is just outside the Refuge du la Lac Blanc
First view of Lac Blanc
The perfect Refuge du la Lac Blanc
We waited patiently for the day trippers to return to Chamonix, snacking on warm crêpes from the refuge. Then, the fading light of day seemed to belong to just the 40 of us who were calling the refuge home for the night. The evening clouds hugged the tops of the mountains as we sat dotted along the lakeside, watching the final colours of the day wave their goodbye.
I actually wrote some of this blog post by voice recording myself and then auto-transcribing it, so this part of the post was written from a little rock outside the refugio at Lac Blanc. The sun was strong with wisps of clouds across the mountain in front of me as I stared at Mont Blanc in awe.
I felt peace, contentment and like I was on my pursuit of happiness - but also famished after the intense day and ready to eat and share stories with other TMB travellers around the table. From our dorm room in the refuge, we could look out at the window and see mountains all around us; I'm in awe of my own life sometimes.
The patio at Refuge du la Lac Blanc
Last light over Lac Blanc
READ MY ENTIRE TMB JOURNEY HERE!
Day 1: Les Houches to Gîte Tupilak
Day 3: Lac Blanc to Charamillon
Day 4: Charamillon to Forclaz
Day 5: Forclaz to Ferret
Day 6: Ferret to Monte Bianco
Day 7: Monte Bianco to Balmes
Day 8: Balmes to Bionassay
Day 9: Bionassay to Les Houches
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
